Brewers 1 - 2 Rays
Final
  for this game

Rays hope to avoid losing streak in opener with Brewers

Jul 28, 2014 - 3:02 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Tampa Bay Rays failed in their bid for a 10th straight win, so they'll try to start a new streak Monday when the Milwaukee Brewers come to town for the opener of a three-game series.

The Rays were going for a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox Sunday, but dropped a 3-2 decision to the defending World Series champions. David Ortiz clubbed the decisive three-run homer in the third inning off Rays starter Chris Archer, who allowed six hits in six innings to fall to 6-6.

Archer wasn't pleased with how Ortiz flipped his bat after hammering an offering to right field.

"All of my interactions with him off the field have been good, but when it comes to him on the field, I don't know what makes him think that he can showboat the way he does, and then nobody can retaliate or look at him in a funny way or nobody can pitch him inside," Archer said.

Desmond Jennings drove in two runs on a double in the bottom of the third inning for Tampa Bay, which lost for the first time since July 11. The Rays had won four in a row at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay will also play the LA Angels on this homestand and has an 18-5 record since June 28.

Jake Odorizzi takes the mound for Tampa Bay Monday and is 6-8 with a 3.97 earned run average. Odorizzi has won two straight starts and is 4-1 in his past five decisions. In last Tuesday's 7-2 win at St. Louis, he gave up a pair of runs in 5 2/3 innings and struck out eight batters.

Odorizzi has struck out at least seven batters in each of his previous three starts and is 3-4 in 11 home starts. The right-hander has never faced Milwaukee and was drafted by the club back in 2008.

The next few weeks will not be easy for the Brewers, as they are set to face Tampa Bay, St. Louis, San Francisco and Los Angeles through Aug. 10.

Milwaukee will play its next six games on the road and split a four-game series with the New York Mets this past weekend. In Sunday's 2-0 loss at Miller Park, Jimmy Nelson pitched well in defeat and gave up both runs in seven decent innings of work.

"I was alright, I kept us in it," Nelson said. "I made pitches when I needed to, except for the one to Duda. I just got too much of the plate and he did what he was supposed to with it."

Khris Davis and Jean Segura each had two hits in the loss.

The Brewers, who went 5-2 on their homestand, had won five of six games and their lead atop the NL Central is down to two games ahead of the Cardinals and three games in front of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Aiming to pitch the Brewers back on track Monday is Kyle Lohse. The 11-game winner (11-4, 3.07 ERA) has won back-to-back starts and four of six decisions, including last Wednesday's 5-1 win over Cincinnati in which he delivered 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball.

Lohse has won at least 11 games in each of the past four seasons. Opposing teams have reached Lohse for just one run in his past two trips to the hill and he is 7-2 in 12 road assignments. He is 5-3 with a 2.92 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) lifetime against the Rays.

The Brewers and Rays are meeting for the first time since Tampa Bay took two of three matchups back in 2011 at Miller Park.






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